Understanding and Working With Complaints

Those that live and work in condominiums surely appreciated the expert information provided by our Rapid 
Fire Panelists at our October 30, 2024 Brunch & Learn held at the Barrie Golf & Country Club. The enthusiastic 
response to our ever-popular learning events is always appreciated and embodies what CCI is all about. You. 
Your quest for info. Our experts. Our connections. As our long-term CCI members know, CCI is your Condo 
Connection (and we are thrilled to serve in this role). 

As Moderator for this unique event, I reflect back as to what complaints are and from where they emanate. I 
considered a recent trip to BC to visit family and my arrival at two large airports with luggage in tow. I 
pretended that I had not been in either airport prior to grasp the feeling as to what new Condominium 
dwellers likely experience. Signs. People. Rules. Traffic. Cars parked in the wrong areas. Different cultures and 
languages. People telling me what to do and what not to do. The hurried and the not so. The dogs. The frail 
and the agile. The frowners looked perplexed. The seasoned travellers easily floated through it all. The happy 
and energetic seemingly oblivious to some boundaries. Really, is landing in a Condominium for your first 
ownership or residency experience that much different than landing in a busy airport for the first time? I see 
similarities. 

Complaints are often caused by lack of understanding. But who is responsible for the lack of understanding? 
The lawyer handling the sale? The real estate agent handling the buying process? The Board for not having 
that quintessential Owner’s handbook ready? The Property Manager for not getting the right information out 
in the manner that best suits such a diverse audience within a busy workday? The new Resident or Owner 
who lands in the Condominium living environment without the knowledge needed to ensure their success? 
Many questions and my opinion is that complaints are driven by a combination of factors. Add in personality 
types and life experiences, of course, and we do have a recipe for chaos and complaints. Nature versus 
nurture tossed in for good measure. 

I navigated the airports seamlessly, in the end, but the journey was filled with questions, line ups, security 
procedures, new faces, and the inevitable feeling as each plane took off, that control really was in the hands of 
someone else. Fortunately, Condominium units do not fly and are not flown by unknown pilots so we are 
therefore each in control of our flight – aren’t we? I encourage Condominium world participants to be kind, 
patient, tolerant, and take it upon themselves to develop the knowledge needed to be successful, productive, 
and positive in these wonderful, shared spaces living journeys. Complaints may then be virtually a flash in the 
rearview if we pull together in harmony. 

Debbie Dale 
MCRS Property Management